Packaging machine



March 26, 1940. B. A. BEMls PACKAGING MACHINE F'led July 5, 1938VVENTo/e 3E/VTL YA. SEM/J ATTaeNEYs Patented Mar. 26, 1940 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE Application July 5, 1938, Serial N0. 217,413

2 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in packagingmachines and more particularly to such apparatus of the weighing andiilling type.

An object of the present invention is to pro vide a mechanism adaptedfor use in connection with a weighing and filling machine, whereby othermaterials may be intermixed with the stock material in regulatedquantities simultaneously n, as the stock material is delivered into thepackage or container.

A further object is to provide a weighing and lling machine comprising amain chute having a connection with a supply hopper and pro- 15 vided atits lower end with means for controlling the delivery of materialtherefrom into the usual weighing hopper, and an auxiliary chute beingdisposed adjacent to said main chute and having means for introducing amaterial of difierw ent characteristics into the stream of stockmaterial, prior to delivering the stock material into the usual packageor container.

A further object is to provide a weighing and lling machine comprising agravity feed main g5 chute and an auxiliary chute connected at its lowerend with the main chute, and a rotary mixing device being mounted at thejuncture between said chutes for thoroughly intermixing the twomaterials as they are delivered into the usual 30 weighing hopper of theapparatus, whereby the added material will be uniformly intermixed withthe stock material, in the operation of filling the packages.

A further object is to provide a mechanism w which may readily beapplied to a conventional Weighing and filling machine in the form of anattachment, and which serves to introduce a predetermined quantity ofother material into the stock material to change the characteristicsthereof, simultaneously as thestock material is delivered into thepackage or container.

Other objects of the invention reside 1n the novel construction of theauxiliary chute for introducing an added material into the stream of sstock material, whereby said auxiliary chute may readily be applied to aconventional weighing and filling machine; in the novel arrangement ofthe auxiliary feed chute, whereby the added material is forcibly fedinto the main stream of stock ma- 50 terial in measured quantities andthoroughly intermixed therewith; in the provision of an attachment forintroducing a material of diierent characteristics into the main streamof stock material, which attachment is provided with means u foraccurately controlling the delivery of added material therefrom into thestream of stock material, whereby the iinished material delivered intothe usual carton or receptacle, will contain the desired percentage oi'added material, and which added material will beuniformlyintermixed 5with the stock material; and, in the simple and inexpensive constructionof the attachment for introducing added material into the stockmaterial, whereby said attachment readily lends itself for manufactureat small cost.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the followingdescription and accompanying drawing and will be pointed. out in theannexed claims.

In the accompanying drawing there has been disclosed a structuredesigned to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is tobe understood that the invention is not conilned to the exact featuresshown as various changes may be made within the scope of the claimswhich 2o follow.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view showing theinvention as applied to a conventional weighing and filling machine; and

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view substantially on the line 2-2 ofFigure 1, showing the position of the mixing device over the usualweighing hopper.

In the selected embodiment oi' the invention su here shown, there isVillustrated in Figure 1, for purpes of disclosure, a conventionalweighing and filling machine comprising the usual supply hopper 2 havingthe upper end of a chute 3 connected thereto. The lower end of thischute is provided with the usual closure gates l and 5, shown pivotallysupported on pivots 6 and 1, respectively, and whereby the flow ofmaterial from the chute may be accurately controlled. The lower end ofthe chute 3 is shown having an ino clined wall portion 8 which serves todirect the material inwardly, as will readily be understood by referenceto Figure l. A partition 9 is also provided in the lower end of the mainchute 3, and the adjacent side wall of the chute terminates at its lowerend in an inclined wall Il whose lower edge portion is bent inwardly andis spaced from the partition 9, as shown.

The usual weighing hopper I2 is shown positioned beneath the dischargeend o1' the main 50 chute 3, and has the usual hinged bottom i3pivotally supported at I4. The weighing hopper I2 is supported upon oneend of a scale beam I5 in the usual manner. The scale beam i5 forms nopart of the present invention and it is therefore u thought unnecessaryto herein show the same in detail. Beneath the weighing hopper I2, thereis provided a filling hopper I 6 having a iilling spout I1 which isadapted to be disposed over the mouth of an empty carton I8, as shown.

To prevent the material from becoming lodged in the iilling hopper I6, asuitable vibrating mechanism, generally indicated by the numeral I9, isshown connected thereto. This vibrating mechanism constantly imparts avibratory or shaking motion to the iilling'hopper I6, whereby thematerial discharged thereinto from the weighing hopper I2, will readilypass through the screen 2l of the hopper and into the open receptacle orcon.. tainer I8 positioned beneath the filling spout I1 oi the hopper.

The screen 2l serves to break up or separate any particles of thematerial which may tend to adhere together whereby the materialdelivered into the container will be uniform in consistency. Thecontainer or receptacle I8 may be supported upon a suitable conveyer orother support, generally indicated by the numeral 22, provided withsuitable side rails 23, as shown.

An important feature of the present invention resides in the novel meansprovided for introducing into the main stream of stock material, amaterial differing in characteristics from the stock material, wherebythe characteristic of the packaged material may be changed, if desired.For

convenience, the material introduced into the stream of stock material,will hereinafter be refarred to as added material, and I wish itclearly. understood that this expression is intended to cover anyingredient which it may be found desirable to intermix with the stockmaterial to change its characteristics.

Tho mechanism provided for thus introducing an added material into thestock material, is shown comprising an auxiliary hopper 24 having achute 25 leading therefrom. A suitable feeding mechanism, generallyindicated bythe numeral 26, is provided at the lower end of the chute25. 'Ihe feeding mechanism 26, as shown, comprises a suitable plunger 21slidable in a guide 28 having an upper wall portion 29 which isadjustably supported upon the upper wall of the guide 28. The wallportion 29 is shown having a stud 3I slidable in a slot `32. A suitablescrew or other securing element 33 is provided for securing the wallportion or slide 29 in adjusted position. By referring to the drawing,it will be noted that the wall portion 29 projects into the chute 25and, by reason of its adjustment provides means for varying the iiow ofmaterial from the chute 25 into the path of the plunger 21.

The plunger 21 may be operated by a suitable connecting rod 34 havingone end pivotally connected thereto and its opposite end connected to anarm 35 mounted on a shaft 36 supported in suitable bearings of themachine frame, not shown. The arm 35 may be actuated by a suitableconnection 31 having one end operatively connected to a drivingmechanism, not shown. In practice, two connecting rods 34 arepreferablyused, one on each side of the chute 25.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of means forintermixing the added material with the stock material, simultaneouslyas the two materials are delivered into the weighing hopper I2. Themeans provided for thus intermixing the'two materials is showncomprising a mixing Wheel, generally indicated by the numeral 38. ThisWheel is mounted directly above the weighing hopper I2, so that the twomaterials must contact therewith, as they are discharged from theirrespective chutes 3 and 25, for delivery into the weighing hopper. Themixing wheel 38 is shows provided with a shaft 39 having a pulley 4Isecured thereto, which may be connected to the usual driving mechanismof the machine, not shown.

To prevent the added material from bridging or becoming congested in thechute 25, suitable agitators'42 and 43 are provided in the chute 25 andhopper 24, respectively. These agitatcrs are driven at a suitable speed,whereby the material is constantly agitated so that it cannot becomecongested in the chute 25.

The novel mechanism, herein disclosed, is very -simple and inexpensiveinconstruction, and it is so designed that it may readily be applied to aconventional weighing and filling machine at small cost. vIi desired, itmaybe embodied directly -in the construction of the weighing machine.

of the material immediately above the plunger 21 may conveniently beobserved. This window is preferably detachably mounted so that accessmay be had to the lower end of the` chute 25, when necessary.

In the operation of the apparatus, the gates or'closures 4 and 5provided at the lower end oi the main chute 3, are regulated to permitthe desired ow of stock material into the weighing hopper I2. The gate 5operates to control the dribble feed of the stock material, as iscustomary in machines of this general type. The gates 4 and 5 operateautomatically, and are controlled by operation of the weighing hopper I2or scale beam I5, so that when the weighing hopper has received a fullload and is operated to discharge its load, the closures 4 and 5automatically-close to prevent further discharge of the stock materialinto the weighing hopper during the period that it is discharging itsmeasured load into the filling hopper IB. The mechanism for thusoperating the closures 4 and 5 is well known in the art, and as it formsno part of the present invention, it is thought unnecessary to hereindisclose the same in detail.

The operation of the plunger is also so timed y that the plunger willnot deliver` any material into the weighing hopper while it isdischarging its contents. The amount of added material introduced intothe stream of stock material discharging into the weighing hopper I2 is,as previously stated, controlled by the position of the plate or wall29. In some instances, it may be desired to intermix a relativelygreater proportion of the added material with the stock material and, insome cases, the proportion of added material introduced into the stockmaterial may be very small, depending uponthe characteristics of theadded material and the desired characteristics of the resultant oriinished material delivered into the package I8.7

Thus, by the application to a weighing and iilling machine, of the novelapparatus or attachment herein disclosed, the characteristics of thepackaged material may readily and conveniently be changed to any degree,as may be desired, lby the introduction of other ingredients into thestream of stock material, simultaneously as the material is deliveredinto the package or container.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparatus of the class described, a

ale-1,633

ow of material therefrom, an auxiliary cante.

having its discharge end disposed adjacent to the discharge end of themain chute, a plunger for intermittently feeding added material from theauxiliary chute into the stream of stock material discharging from themain chute, a slide disposed over the plunger for regulating the thequantity of added material delivered to the stock material, and wherebythe added material may be introduced into the stream ofstock material inaccurately measured quantities,

,and a mixing wheel mounted at the discharge ends of said chutes forthoroughly intermixing the two materials, whereby the resultant productwill be substantially uniform in consistency.

BENILY n. BEMIS.

